Letters to Yang
by BelowAverageJoe
Summary: 20 year old Yang Xiao Long returns from her European trip she left for one year ago, only to find her new home in Oregon seemingly abandoned. With the phone-line cut due to a storm, Yang must scour the manor to find out what happened to her parents and dear sister, Ruby. Along the way, Yang discovers Ruby's fascination with one of her classmates, an ROTC student named Weiss Schnee.
1. Arrival

"Except for me, the shuttle is completely empty. The only sound I can hear is the intense applause of the rain and the echo of thunder. Great uncle Qrow died a little bit after I left for my European trip last year, so my family got this huge house of his in Oregon. This is my first time seeing the so-called 'Arbor House'. Here I finally am, home at one in the morning, I'm so tired that I may just crash as soon as I get in there. I notice that there are no cars in the driveway.

 _"Maybe nobody's home...not even Ruby's car is here."_ I think as I hurry out of the bus, scrambling to collect my two bags. One is a small blue duffel bag, and the other is a green drawstring bag with my flight information on it; a small piece of paper that reads _"Name: Yang X. Long, Destination: Portland, Flight Number: 270, Date: June 6, 1995."_

"Thanks for the ride." I say to the driver as I pass him. I exit the shuttle, holding my duffel bag in my right hand while using my arm to keep the other bag on my back. The bus speeds off, throwing up water from the puddles that are on the road, and I turn back to my new home.

I examine it as I march up to the stairs in the heavy rain. It has a large porch with a roof that leads to a giant double door with two windows on either side and a light above that isn't on. The house has another two stories after the first with two triangular prism-shaped roofs crossing like an intersection, and on both sides is another section of the house that are not as big as the center. The stairs creak when I take a step on them, and continue to do so when I shift my weight from one stair to the next until I reach the porch; no longer being bombarded by the storm. I turn the knob on one of the two double doors, and surprisingly, they open.

 _"Weird, they usually lock the doors when they leave."_ I think to myself. I push it open and enter the room, closing the door behind me. In front of me are another pair of wooden doors with stain glass windows and a piece of paper on the right one, with lights on either side; the left one flickering on and off. There is a wooden bench at my right and two chairs with a small table and a cabinet to my left.

I set down my two bags, still wet from the rain, and walk towards the paper.

 _"Yang,_

 _I'm sorry I can't be there to see you, but it is impossible. Please, please don't go digging around trying to find out where I am. I don't want anyone to know._

 _We'll see each other again someday. Don't be worried. I love you_

 _-Ruby"_

What? I grab the paper with both hands and tear it off the wall; skimming through it once more to make sure I got everything right.

 _"Can't be there to see you...I don't want anyone to know...Don't be worried...what on earth does this mean?"_ I question. I can't help to be but to be worried, but maybe it can wait till morning. I'm super tired.

I crumple the paper up into a ball and stuff it into my hoodie pocket, then I give the door a jiggle, but it won't open.

"Locked…" I sigh. Mom and dad always kept a spare key somewhere near the door, I just have to look for it. I glance to my left at the cabinet in the corner of the room. I walk up to it and turn on the lamp on top next to a plant, lighting up the area. I bend down and open the two doors. Inside is a jumbled up mess of Christmas decorations and a white, ceramic duck with a wreath and a red ribbon around its neck

I lift up the duck and bingo, there's the key. I scoop it up and begin walking to the door. The key fits and turns perfectly in the door, and I push them both open. There is a large staircase directly in front of me leading up to a dark upstairs, two bookshelves to the right by one hallway and two cabinets to the left next to a picture of our family and a lamp. Three red carpets decorate the hardwood floor, and a cracked door with the lights on is at my l left. I close the two doors behind me.

I make my way to the picture of our family. Ruby is at the very left sitting next to Mom, who's sitting next to dad. Ruby has short black hair and glimmering silver eyes, and in the photo she's wearing a red and black flannel shirt. Mom has the same color hair and eyes as Ruby, and she's wearing a white, open long-sleeved shirt over a black t-shirt. Dad has shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes with a thin beard, wearing a brown suit. Standing above them is me, with my long, bright gold hair and lilac eyes. Below the whole thing is a plaque that says, _"Ruby, Yang, Mom (Summer), and Dad (Tai)."_

I look down at the phone on the cabinet. Next to it is a lamp and a answering machine. I turn on the lamp which illuminates the area, revealing a previously hard to see note. I pick this one up and read it as well.

 _"Ruby-_

 _Jaune from the old neighborhood called. He wants to come see the new house. Call him back._

 _Mom! Jaune is a TOTAL WEIRDO! The only reason I ever hung out with him in the first place is he had a Nintendo when we were little!"_

I recall Ruby telling me what she really thought of the blonde haired kid, it seemed like such a long time ago. The screen on the answering machine has the letter three on it, so I press the play button.

"Ruby? Ruuby? Hellooo?" An unfamiliar girl's voice plays from the machine. "Ruby!" There's a short beep after the sound of a phone hanging up. The second message plays.

"Ruby, w-where are you?" The girl sounds like she's sobbing now. "I really...need to talk to you. Just be there." The phone hangs up again and there is another beep.

"Hey Mom, so I got my flight back from Europe." This is the message I left my family when I got off the plane. I stop the playback, because there is not really a point to listening to myself talk.

 _"I wonder who that girl was…"_ I think to myself. She sounded really depressed, like she was barely holding it together.

I open the door to my left to find myself staring down a dark, empty looking hallway. I reluctantly step in and feel the wall for a light switch. My hand glides over a button, so I push it in. The hall is suddenly filled with light, and I see three doors, the closest to my left, then to my right passed a large cabinet, then the farthest at the end of the hallway to my left.

 _"What's behind door number one?"_ I think to myself as I throw it open. It's seems to be a dark closet with a string hanging from the ceiling. I pull the string and light fills the small space. At my feet are a few boxes and a green and brown backpack with a piece of paper hanging out of the front pocket. I pick up the paper and begin reading.

 _"Welcome, new student! We hope that you are as excited about your first day at Beacon Academy as we are."_ It's just a welcoming letter from the school to Ruby. I skim through the rest, not really caring about what the paper has to say.

I toss the paper aside, pull back down on the switch, and shut the closet door. I approach the cabinet and notice a black card with the Eiffel Tower on it. It's one of the postcards I sent. I still recall what I wrote down.

 _"Hi Mom, Dad, and Ruby,_

 _I'm in Paris! I have done so many Parisian things, including eating le petit dejeuner and wearing a beret. I'm going to have lots of film to develop when I get back! Ruby, I'm bringing you back something from the Shakespeare Book Company, since you are my favorite sister_

 _Love you all!_

 _-Yang"_

Ruby's gift, I left it in my duffel bag on the porch. Rubes always loved to read, it was one of her favorite activities. I walk further down the hallway until I reach the next door to my right. I push it open and, as expected, it's nearly pitch-black. I reach in and find a light switch quickly. The room has a bookshelf on the left wall, a chair in the middle of the room, a cabinet similar to the one in the hallway and a door at the back wall, and a desk and a filing cabinet to my right.

I walk up to the cracked door on the wall and push it the rest of the way open. I flip the light switch and the room is bathed in light. Bookshelves to both my left and right, two chairs and a lamp over by a window. This must be the library.

I head out of the room and back into the hallway. The next door down has a blue light coming out of the cracked door.

The room is lighted by a lamp to the far left and a TV that was left on, playing the emergency broadcast signal. A large L-shaped sofa is in the center of the room under a ceiling fan and next to a table with many strewn about papers and a pizza box. To the right is a fireplace and in the far left corner of the room is another door.

"This is a severe weather warning. The Northwest Weather Service reports high winds and torrential rain conditions affecting the following counties: Austin County, Boon County, Dawn County…"

I walk up to the TV and shut it off. That blaring noise always gave me the creeps for some reason. Why would they leave the TV on?

"Guess I'll crash here." I say out loud to myself. Through the light shining through the window I catch a glimpse of a book and an empty soda can underneath what looks like a small pillow fort.

"Heh, Ruby…" I remember as kids we used to always make pillow forts. Of course, ours were larger than this, since it needed to fit two people. For old times sake, I climb in.

The long pillow on the ground that acts as a mattress feels surprisingly comfortable. I lay my head down and grab the book. It's white and has _"Hauntings and Poltergeists"_ printed on it in a blue, generic font. The picture is a drawing of a man looking at a see-through lady next to a park fountain. I didn't know Ruby was interested in ghosts and stuff. I set the book down at my side and relax. I just want to sleep.


	2. Seraching

It's no use. I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes I see Ruby; her bright eyes and her glistening smile. It's all that I can think about right now. Why isn't she here? Where'd she go? I have to find out. I crawl out of the tiny fort and walk out of the room, then I take a right and make a beeline for the phone on the cabinet outside the hall. I pick it up, dial 911, and hold it up to my ear. The second I do, seven drawn out beeps ring in my ear.

" _Great, the storm must have cut the phone line."_ I think to myself. I put the phone back in it's place and tighten my hand into a fist. If Ruby's missing, I have to let the police know and file a Missing Person's Report. My heart begins to sink and my shoulders start to feel heavy. In the corner of my eye I can feel a tear start to well up.

"Damn it Ruby," I notice that my voice is getting a bit shaky, "where are you?" Then, a thought occurs to me.

" _That note said to not snoop around to find out what happened...are there clues here?"_ It's a wild and absolutely crazy thought, but...what if? I can't call the police, and finding her in the rain would be damn near impossible; especially since this town is new to me and I don't know where anything is. It's the best I can do right now.

" _Where do I start?"_ I ask myself. I guess the most logical place would be her room, but I don't know where that is. I'll just have to sweep the house until I find it. I turn to my left and head back into the first hallway. At the end, instead of turning left into the living room, I make my way right. There is a long hallway with a red carpet and a door to the left.

I push open the door and feel for a light switch. I find it on the left side, and when I turn it on I can see that the room has a bookcase in the center, a small counter to the left and a chair in the corner. This isn't her room, so turn right and continue the hall towards a tall plant and a dresser, then I make another left towards a door at the very end. I twist the door handle and try to open it, but it won't budge; and even though it doesn't I still give it another jiggle or two.

"Locked…" I sigh to myself and look down. This whole situation sucks. I'm all alone trying to find my missing sister and parents in a house they've completely abandoned, trying to find clues and piece together what happened. What am I doing?

Out of the corner of my eyes, something on the ground catches my attention. There's a metal trash bin with a single crumpled up piece of paper in it, oddly tucked away from everything else. My curiosity grows as I continue to stare at it for no reason at all, so I bend down and pick it up.

" _Yang,_

 _Please, whatever you've found, don't tell mom and dad. The attic"_

I read through a scribble over hurried writing on the crinkled paper. Ruby was in a rush to write this, but I wonder why she scribbled it out and threw it away. Two specific phrases capture my attention: " _whatever you've found"_ and " _the attic"._ They repeat in my mind, back and forth between one another, like a parrot that only knows two phrases.

" _Whatever you've found?"_ I think to myself, " _Does this mean that there really are more clues?"_ I tighten my grip on the sides of the paper and press my lips together hard. " _The attic..? Is there something important in there?"_ Even though everything still feels helpless, I can feel a glimmer of hope in my heart. Now, I have two useful pieces of information I can use.

I recrumple the paper and shove it into my hoodie pocket along with the letter I found on the door earlier, then a whip around and began marching away from the locked door. Just as I'm about to pass the dresser, I stop and realize something.

" _What if more clues are out of the way, like that one?"_ I turn to the dresser and turn on a lamp that is on it. When I do, the area illuminates and I see a note that I somehow missed. I read it without picking it up.

" _Yang,_

 _Please tell mom and dad sorry about the stuff that's missing._

 _-Ruby"_

Sounds about right, Rubes usually wouldn't be one to steal anything, but I imagine that if she did she would come back and apologize for it. I just wish she would come back. I open the first two drawers and find next to nothing; just a few documents and a couple of highlighters, but when I open the bottom one I do find something interesting.

" _Hi Wiess!_

 _So if you wanted to come over to my house still this afternoon that would be cool! I can drive. It's kind of far but I can drive you home too so hopefully that's fine. Write back and leave this in my locker if you still want to and we can meet in the parking lot after 6th._

 _-Ruby_

 _Sure, I'm in. See you there. Just know that I won't hold back._

 _-W"_

The paper has black ink for the first part, then turns red in the second. On it is a poorly drawn picture of someone throwing an energy ball at another person, with the word "you" pointed at the target. I smile to myself and my heart begins to full with a warm, bubbly feeling. I'm so glad to see Ruby made friends without me there, since she's usually so socially anxious and awkward.

I shut the drawer and turn back down the hallway. Before I turn left to the main foyer, I gaze into the room I tried and failed to fall asleep in.

" _Maybe I should look in there too, just in case."_ I think to myself. I head in there, turn on the light switch, and begin looking for anything I could find. I start on my left, where I find a cassette tape and player on a shelf. Side A of the tape has the word "girlscout" written on it with red crayon; the o is a heart, and side B says "It's My Turn." I pop it in and hit the play button.

The song starts with a short drum fill, then it immediately amps up to a nice little punk song.

"You...were the one...who held me down and told me I was heading nowhere!" The lead vocalist is a girl, and she has a beautiful singing voice. I walk away and the song just becomes background noise. I look under the couch and inside cabinets - really anywhere I can think of - but the only interesting thing I find is one of the books dad wrote and a note that goes on about how one of his friends could send it into his boss for editing. That is, until I open the door at the far left corner of the room.

I pull the string hanging from the ceiling and light up the closet. There are a few articles of clothing hanging on the left and a small stack of boxes in the right. The top box is open, and again, oddly tucked away, is something that I actually remember from my childhood. It's a small, three page story that Ruby made when she was really little.

"The Hevin at the Edge of the World.

Ruby Rose, grade 2

Story: the turtle people

part 1"

It's still so cute how she misspelled 'heaven'. It's also adorable that she gave the story two titles for some reason. On the front page are a few turtle stickers; one of them is holding a piece of paper with an A on it. There's also a poorly drawn picture of two female pirates next to a ship.

I smile to myself again, gripping the paper at the sides and sorting through every memory of my precious sister. I love her so much. She was so innocent back then. I don't want to let go of the story or think of what's going on with her right now. She's gotta be scared and alone, or maybe she's just sad, or maybe she feels empty. God, I pray that's not the case. I just wanna stay here and relive that part of my life again; the part with Ruby in it. But I know that I just can't afford to do that, it'll get me nowhere. I let out a shaky breath and I can feel my smile fade away.

"I miss you, Ruby." I whisper to myself. I think tonight is the closest I've come to crying in a long time. I set the story back in the box and exit the closet, then I head out of the entire room, feeling a bit disappointed that I didn't find another clue.

When I leave the room another thing strikes me as odd. There's another crumbled up piece of paper next to another metal bin. I pick it up and try to fix it, and it turns out the piece of paper was torn in half, so I try my best to align the words and read it.

" _Hey are you that new girl Ruby? I'm Cardin im at the back behind you wave if you get this and write back._

 _Hi Cardin. Yes, I'm Ruby and yes I'm new. What's up?"_

I start to get a little excited. How many friends did Ruby end up making? And with a boy? I'm impressed by how far she's come. Though Cardin's terrible handwriting and poor grammar make me worry a little.

" _I just thought since youre new maybe you could use a friend. I dont have alot of friends either and so I thought Id ask something if you dont mind. do you mind?_

 _Y/N_

 _No I don't mind. What did you want to ask?_

 _Was it just your uncle who went psycho or does it run in your family?"_

What? I begin to clench my fist around the two pieces of paper so hard that it hurts. I grit my teeth and my entire body is engulfed in a boiling rage. I take my right fist and slam it into the doorframe as hard as I can. I swear, if I ever find this 'Cardin' guy I'm going to kill him.

This kinda reminds me of this one other time some boy was picking on Ruby. She was in 3rd grade and I was in 5th. I was never one to use my words to resolve problems, I'd just punch things...or people. I don't remember what that kid did, but it made me so mad that I knocked one of his teeth out. I think he ripped my orange scarf in that fight. I ended up getting on top and pinning the kid, then I just started wailing on him, and the only reason I stopped is because Ruby hates seeing people get hurt, so she pulled me off and pleaded with me to let it go. The difference here is that I wasn't here to stop this.

" _Is that what happened, Ruby?"_ I ask both myself and Ruby in my mind, " _Were people bullying you so you ran away? Could I have stopped all this if I just didn't go on that stupid trip? God, is this my fault?"_ An extremely loud boom of thunder jolts me back into reality. I shake my head and throw away the note. Of course this isn't my fault, and there's no way something that simple would make her leave. There's gotta be a lot more going on.

I look inside dad's office to my left, but I decide not to waste my time on it. What kind of clues could possibly be in there? I open the drawer of the cabinet that my post card was on and there are a few things I notice right away. The first is a pack of playing cards, the second is an obituary for my great uncle, Qrow, and the third is a photograph of an unfamiliar teenage girl.

I pick up the picture and examine it. The girl has long, white hair that's kept in a ponytail off to her side and glistening blue eyes, with a scar running down her left one. She's wearing a military uniform, and on her name tag it says "Schnee".

" _Who is this girl?"_ I ask myself. Then it hits me, " _Maybe she's the same girl from the answering machine. Or maybe she's that Weiss girl from the letter. Or maybe all three of them are separate people, or maybe they're all the same?"_ I set the photo down and skim the obituary.

" _Qrow Branwen, 60, of Boon County, died peacefully last month in his home."_ I skip to the bottom of the page. " _His survivors include his nephew, Taiyang Xiao Long, as well as, in spirit, the people of Boon County…"_

I toss the obituary back into the drawer and shut it, then I finally leave the hallway and shut the door behind me.

"Not there…" I sigh to myself. I gaze at the stairs directly in front of me for a bit, then at a door mostly hidden in shadow in the far right corner of the room. I speed walk over to the door and turn on a lamp that's on a dresser near it, then I open the door. Lame, it's just a closet. I even look behind some of the boxes in there and on the top rack, but find nothing.

I walk up to the right of the staircase where I see two bookshelves with two of my old track trophies on it, a lamp, and a door through the dark. I turn on the lamp and try to open the door, but like the one in the opposite hallway, it's locked. Guess the only way to go is up.

I zip around and lightly jog up the stairs into the darkness at the top. There's yet another lamp on a dresser, so I turn it on to see better. I enter the hallway at the top of the stairs and turn on another light switch. At the end of the hall, there's a door with a yellow nuclear radiation sign that seemed to glow almost as bright as the lights to my right.

"Jackpot." I say. That is exactly something that Ruby would have on her door. I walk slowly up to the door and reach out, but my hand stops just before I touch it.

" _What kind of things will I find in here?"_ I think to myself. Slowly, I reach my hand out and rest it over the knob. It's cold, like nobody has touched it for a while.

" _What if Ruby is in there, sitting on her bed reading her favorite book, or listening to music through some headphones so she didn't hear me come in? Or maybe she's fast asleep?"_ I stay there hoping for a long time as I listen to the rain hitting the roof. Deep down, I know that it won't happen, I just wish it will. I take a deep breath, twist the knob, and push open the door.


	3. Ruby's Room

The first thought that occurs to me is how much the room doesn't feel like it belonged to Ruby. The reason I thought that is because whenever you were around Ruby, it was like you were standing next to a beacon of light. The room doesn't give off the same vibe. It's mostly dark except for the TV that was left on to my right. I can make out a rug and a wooden floor, but that's it. I feel the wall for a light switch, but I can't find one.

As I stumble into the room, I keep my hands stretched out in front of me so I don't knock into anything. A small amount of light from the outside is being let through two windows in the corner. I can see a bed and a nightstand over by them. I can also barely see a lamp on the nightstand.

I blindly shuffle over to the lamp. I almost trip over a soft lump on the ground, and immediately after I step on something small and hard - which kind of hurt since I wasn't expecting it. I reach for the lamp and push the button at the base.

This corner of the room instantly lights up. There's a black pirate flag with a skull and two swords on the wall, and the lamp is accompanied by a few pencils and an empty Dr. Jitters can. The thing that I stepped on was a pen. The bed is untidy and has a single pillow and a green Stegosaurus plushy on it, which I actually recognize.

 _"Steggy?...Stelly?..."_ I struggle to remember what Ruby named the thing.

I also notice a Groove magazine sticking out of a side pocket of the nightstand. I pull it out and I'm greeted with the face of Kurt Cobain. This issue was from a while ago; before my trip. I remember Ruby was more torn up about his suicide than I was, even though we both listened to Nirvana a bunch. I wonder why she has this lying around.

I toss it on the bed and turn around. Because of the lamp, I can now see a bigger one over by the door. I hop over the soft lump - now revealed to be a pile of pillows - and twist the knob at the middle of the lamp. With a click, the entire room lights up. I shut the door and take a good look around.

The room was way less of a mess than I thought. Besides the pillows and a few pens, there's only a sweater and a red solo cup on the floor. There is a green locker and a closet door next to the bed. To my left, there is a green desk and a closed door, and to my right, there are two big bookshelves and a smaller dresser.

Now that I've turned the lights on, the room does feel like Ruby's. There's a lot of quirky, nerdy stuff is all around, I just couldn't see anything cause the lights were out.

Right, back to what I was doing. Two things catch my attention as soon as I start looking for the clues again; two separate pieces of paper. One is tucked underneath one of the pillows in the middle of the room, and one is hidden under the bookshelf that has the TV.

I go for the one under the pillow first. After tossing the pillow aside, I pick it up and begin reading.

 _"_ Hi _Weiss! I wrote this in_ first _period and left it in your locker on the way to second. It's what the COOL KIDS are doing, I've decided. Write me back. Also, here's an idea for something to draw: two cats on a motorcycle._

 _Hey, this is a good idea. What all the cool kids are doing is actually sending each other pages on their beepers. But we're cooler than them because guess what: they can't put this on a beeper."_

The first paragraph is written in pencil and the second is in red pen. At the bottom of the page is a drawing of two cats on a bike being chased by a U.F.O. through a desert. I flip the page over to see if there's anything on the back side.

 _"Your drawing of cats was SO GOOD that I added a background to make it even better. Maybe I should stick to writing though._

 _I like it. How did you know they were about to get abducted by aliens? I'm looking at Mr. Pfish right now. I feel like he would have a lot of cats. Like his secret shame is that he watches 90210 religiously. I'm going to ask him about the cats after class._

 _He said he has two cats and also that he's never watched 90210, but I could see in his eyes he was lying."_

So Ruby added the U.F.O. That's just something her creative mind would think of. I lay the note down and reach for the other one.

 _"Chun Li moves_

 _Fireball: - (hold) - punch_

 _Lightning kick:..."_

Oh, nothing worth my time. I even check the back, but the moves list is all there is.

I begin to search the bookshelf and the desk, but I don't find anything interesting except for another cassette tape. I turn to my right and walk up to the closet. It has a poster of the Sonic Boom '94 movie on it. I push open the door and turn on the light. Something colorful stands out to me among the boxes inside. It's a rainbow-colored binder with a penguin wearing a flower shirt on it. Man, Rubes had this in, like, 4th grade. I flip through it, but it doesn't look like it's been touched since then.

After a bit of searching, I find a three-page short story, titled "The King's Labyrinth". I read it over and realize that it's a continuation of the story she did in second grade; "The Hevin at the Edge of the World". Her writing obviously improved since then and the story was kinda impressive, but I don't see anything that could be a clue of where she went.

I just about give up on the closet when something catches my eye at the last second. On one of the boxes is a blue collar with paw-prints on it. I pick it up and check the tag.

Zwei

1888 Dry

Creek RD

Suddenly, a wave of realization hits me. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen or heard Zwei yet. Where is that dog? I'm sure I would've heard him barking by now, or at least get slobbered on by him. Is he with Ruby, Mom, or Dad? If he was, what's his collar doing here?

A weight heavier than any boulder is pressed down on me. My throat forces my breath out and my ears tune out the rain.

 _"Don't tell me…No…"_ I widen my eyes. It couldn't be…Zwei can't be dead.

"Oh, god," I say in a low voice. This has gotta be the worst day of my life. I loved that damn dog. He was mine and Ruby's best friend. I hope it's not true. I hope he's safe and happy with Ruby or Mom or Dad.

I stare at the collar for a while longer. I don't want to let it go. I sigh, set it back on the box, and go back into Ruby's room. I search for a while longer, but I find literally nothing. Just NES cartridges, brochures, magazines, and random girl junk; none of which provided anything special. I even tried to open the locker, but it needed a combination that I didn't know.

"Well, that was almost useless." I sigh to myself. Is it weird that I've been talking to myself? I'm honestly feeling really alone right now. More alone than when I was over in Europe.

I gaze at the other door for a second before I walk over and open it. It's a hallway with another door to my right. I go and push that one open. It's a bathroom. You know, I could really use a good face rinsing right now.

I step in and immediately freeze. There's something wrong with the bathtub. On the sides and on the inside are deep red stains.

"What the..?" I whisper. Is that blood? Shakily, I creep to the tub. Horrible thoughts are running through my head. Ruby? Mom? Dad? God, please don't be any of them.

I nervously peek inside. Nothing is in there. I scratch at the stains. It's dry, but it's not dark like blood would be. What is this stuff? I quickly find my answer. Next to the tub is a red bottle. I pick it up and read "Wild Color, Red Right Hand, semi-permanent hair color" on it.

A set down the bottle and make for the sink. I am way too tired for this. I turn on the faucet, grab some water in my cupped hands, and sink my face into it. The ice cool water kinda wakes me up, but it doesn't really help all that much. I turn off the sink and stare at the cabinet in front of me. There isn't a mirror, but I can tell I have bags under my eyes.

I leave the bathroom and immediately notice a backpack with a note under it by Ruby's door. I slip the note out from under the backpack and begin reading.

 _"Hey Ruby, do you want to see Pulp Fiction after school at the_ coliseum _? It came out last weekend and Ren won't shut up about it, so it's either good or we can make fun of him for liking it."_

Red pen, proper grammar; I'm pretty sure that this is Weiss' handwriting.

 _"My Mom is supposed to cook dinner for us tonight for a change, but I can just ditch out on it probably. What time? Also isn't that movie supposed to be really violent? Am I going to barf?_

 _According to Ren, it is pretty hardcore. I guess Uma Thurman gets stabbed in the heart with a heroin needle so that's kind of funny. Also, something about cheeseburgers is important. I think Ren's going to come so he can see it_ again, _if that's okay. The movie starts at 7:15. Please don't barf, you dolt._

 _Ha ha ha ALRIGHT! See you then!"_

I really like finding these notes between Weiss and Ruby. Seeing that Ruby managed to find such a good friend without my help makes me happy.

I put the note back under the backpack and head down the hall, which brings me back to the hallway outside of Ruby's room. It wasn't until now that I noticed a bulletin board next to her door.

 _"Jackpot! There's bound to be something pinned there!"_ I think to myself. I jog over and start reading the various things. One sticky note reads _"Jaune called."_ Another says _"Jaune called again. He wants his Nintendo game back."_ I never exactly understood why Ruby was so evasive of Jaune. He was nice and thoughtful. Maybe a little wimpy, but that's not that big of a deal. I always secretly thought they would make a cute couple.

The next piece of paper says _"Ruby: Stop leaving every damn light in the house on! You're as bad as your sister!"_

Woah, I almost had to make a double take. That seemed kinda stern. Neither Mom or Dad usually swear at us. Though, there must have been a lot of stress when they moved into this huge house, so it's kinda understandable. Now that I think about it, I did leave some lights on. Oops.

I begin to read the next letter, and when I'm done I am completely taken aback. It's written by Ruby, but it's super passive-aggressive. Mostly aggressive.

 _"TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:_

 _I, Ruby Rose, am SEVENTEEN years_ old, _and am therefore an independent, fully-functional human being._

 _The fact that you still forbid_ be _from going into the city on my own is, frankly, absurd. Compared to Yang, who is only two (2) years older than me and yet you allowed her to go ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE OCEAN TO ANOTHER CONTINENT on her own._

 _I just want to spend an evening in a normal totally safe city ON MY OWN like a HUMAN BEING and since you may also remember that I have my own car, you CAN'T REALLY STOP ME._

 _Warmest regards,_

 _Your daughter, Ruby Rose."_

Ruby doesn't usually back-talk Mom like that. I decide I should move on and see what else I can find. I open another door in the hallway. I'm pretty sure it's Mom and Dad's room. I don't find any clue in there, but something does bother me.

"Mom's purse?" I ask out loud. Why would Mom leave her purse lying around like that? From the looks of the room, they left in a hurry, wherever they went. Drawers were hanging out and it looks like they only took a few clothes with them.

I walk out of the room and go to another door. This whole thing has me so shaken up. Whatever happened to everyone here, it can't be good. I open the next door and take a step inside. Something crumbles underneath my foot.

I look down and see that I stepped on a piece of paper. It must've been stuck under the door. I pick it up and read it.

 _"Yang-_

 _Mom and Dad were going to make up the guest room for you to stay in over the summer, but you came home on such short notice that they weren't around to do it._

 _You can use my room if you want. I won't be needing it anymore._

 _-Sam"_

I can't stop looking down at the paper. My stomach curls into a knot. Everything feels so heavy. My ears and throat sting. I can feel a tear break from my eye. It runs down my face and falls onto the paper.

 _"Please...just come home…"_ I whisper.


End file.
